Crescendo
by KaetanaSkyewind
Summary: Animus, a sentient metal mask capable of psychically controlling the body he is attached to, serves a lich necromancer in Thay. When he encounters two of his master's prisoners trying to escape in the middle of a party, he attempts to help them get away. But the lich has eyes everywhere, and if the group is caught, who knows what he'll do to them... Oneshot. Critique welcome!


The silence was blissful. To be alone with his thoughts, to not have to listen to the constant screaming and pleading – it was a rare experience, but a glorious one. There was, of course, the issue that this body he was attached to had once been alive, and had likely been killed for his convenience. But he tried not to think about that.

If he thought too hard about the things he witnessed day to day, he'd probably go mad.

He should be used to it by now, really. This was the purpose for which the metal mask had been created – to attach to and psychically control the bodies of the living and the dead, bending them to the will of his creator. It had been unexpected when he began learning from the thoughts and emotions of his hosts, becoming intelligent, but his creator had considered it a happy accident, and given him a name: Animus.

Animus leaned against the wall and let his gaze drift around the room. Through an open window he could see the sun going down behind the harsh Thayan cliffs, and a soft breeze blew at the curtains. Tall bookshelves lined the wall on the opposite side of the room, filled with various texts on magic and necromancy. A table in the middle of the room was covered with alchemical equipment and scribbled notes, and next to it was a stone slab with manacles attached, with some reddish stains on it – Animus quickly looked away. That was another thing he needed to try not to think about.

From outside the room Animus could hear the sounds of the guests downstairs – loud voices, the clattering of plates and glasses, and musicians playing.

Turning his head, he looked over at the desk, where his creator, the lich Razael, was recording something in a notebook. As he watched, Razael finished writing a last sentence and then closed the notebook, storing it inside one of the desk's drawers. He stood from the desk and looked over at Animus, who pushed himself off the wall and straightened his posture.

"Why don't you head downstairs, Animus," said Razael, his voice scratchy. "I'd like you to attend the party. Talk to some of the guests. Enjoy yourself."

_*With all due respect,*_ replied Animus telepathically, cocking his head to the side, _*I don't think your guests will want to talk to me.*_

"I insist. Run along, now. I'll be down in a minute." Razael moved his hands in some arcane gestures, and the lich's appearance changed from skeletal to a dark-haired man in his late forties.

Animus knew it was pointless to argue, so he simply bowed his head before turning and exiting the room.

The entry hall of the manor was packed with guests flitting about and chatting with one another. Slaves hurried around, carrying trays of appetizers or refilling drinks. Several guards stood spaced around the edges of the party, watching the guests warily.

As Animus descended the staircase, several of the nearby guests looked over at him, then immediately looked away and became very interested in the contents of their drinks. This was the real reason Razael had sent him down here, of course – partially to intimidate his guests with Animus's strangeness, and partially to show off his odd masked servant. The body the lich had picked for Animus was taller than average, and he loomed over the majority of the guests.

Uninterested in trying to strike up a conversation, Animus made his way over to the far wall, the crowd quickly parting to make way for him. He found a quiet corner and stood there, watching the party.

A group of guests who all appeared to be in their twenties were whispering to each other and occasionally shooting quick glances over at him. Several appeared to be trying to goad the youngest of the group into doing something – coming over to speak with Animus, most likely. Animus didn't feel like being the source of their amusement, so he made his way over to them first.

"Can I help you with something?" He decided not to use telepathy and forced the words out of the mouth of the body he was controlling instead. The corpse was fresh enough that the sentence came out only slightly gravelly.

Several of the group jumped, having not heard him approach over the loud noise of the party.

"Whoa," said one of them, looking up at him. "You can talk?"

"Of course I can talk," replied Animus with annoyance.

"Is it true that you can change your body to take on any shape?" asked one.

"Are you like a vampire or can you go out in sunlight?" piped up another.

"Can you really walk through walls?" chimed in the last one.

"Yes. I also feast upon the souls of the living," Animus answered, completely deadpan.

"Really?" asked the youngest.

"Yes…and your souls smell delicious…" Animus took a step closer to the group and they shrieked and scattered, running off into the crowd. He watched them go, shaking his head.

Animus headed back towards his corner, but stopped when he heard a clattering noise and a startled yell coming from down a corridor. He quickly turned down the hallway to investigate the noise.

Animus rounded the corner at the end of the hallway and stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. A young half-orc woman, dressed in rags and with her brown hair pulled back into a wild ponytail, was standing over one of the manor's guards. Her hands were bound with rope at the wrists but she had managed to somehow get a hold of the guard's sword and impale him with it. Behind her, watching with apprehension, was a blonde human boy who didn't look much older than sixteen.

The guard let out a last gurgle, and the half-orc pulled the sword out of his stomach. She sighed in relief, and then glanced up and tensed again as she noticed Animus. Without hesitation she charged at him and rammed the sword through his chest.

Animus stumbled back slightly from the force of the impact, looking down at the sword sticking out of his body. The girl stared up at him, seeming confused as to why he was still standing. She let go of the sword and backed away slowly.

Animus grabbed onto the handle of the sword and carefully pulled it out of his torso. _*Would you like me to cut your bonds?*_ he asked the half-orc after a moment.

"Stay away from me!" the girl growled back. "I know who you are – you serve the lich, you're his…what are you?" She trailed off, staring at the gaping wound in his chest.

_*My name is Animus,*_ he replied, not really sure how else to answer her question.

"Why are you offering to help us? This is some sort of trick, isn't it? Some game the lich is playing with us?" She glanced frantically around as if trying to spot hidden enemies.

"Cora, who are you talking to? I don't hear him saying anything," the boy spoke up, looking confused.

_*My apologies. I forgot to include you in my telepathy,*_ said Animus. The boy jumped, then calmed when he realized where the voice was coming from.

"So…Animus…why are you offering to free us?" asked Cora, glaring at him. "What do you get out of it?"

_*I know what my master likely intends to do with you, and I would not wish that fate on anyone.*_ He bent down and set the sword on the ground, and then stood and slid it over to Cora with his foot. _*If you do not desire my help, then please, take this sword back. I wish you the best of luck.*_ He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" called out the boy. "Cora, he could help us." The half-orc was already using the sword to cut through the ropes around her wrists. She snorted. "You want to trust him? We'll be lucky if he doesn't go tell the lich about us as soon as he leaves."

"We have nothing to lose. If he's lying, that means we're sure to be caught anyway. We might as well accept his help," said the boy as Cora cut his hands free. The half-orc shrugged, looking unconvinced.

"I'm Dirk, and that's Cora," the boy said, approaching Animus and offering his hand. After a moment Animus clasped it in his own and shook it.

"Wow. Your hands are cold," commented Dirk, appearing suddenly more wary.

"That's because he's creepy, and we shouldn't be talking to him," said Cora with a frown.

_*I recommend you worry less about me and more about how you're going to get out of here,* _Animus said curtly.

"First we need to free the others," said Cora, and Dirk nodded in agreement.

Animus followed them through the halls of the manor, avoiding the guards, until they reached the holding cells. A group of ragged-looking prisoners looked up at them as they approached, their expressions shifting from hope at seeing Cora and Dirk, to fear at catching sight of Animus.

"I took the key off the guard. Let's get this open," said Cora, reaching towards the lock on the door.

_*Wait!*_ cried Animus, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling it away from the lock. She quickly twisted out of his grasp and shoved him away from her.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" she yelled, brandishing the sword at him.

_*There's a magical ward on the cell. Anyone who's not supposed to tries to open that door and not only will the ward blow up in your face, it will alert my master.*_

"Can you open it, then?" asked Dirk.

Animus shook his head. _*I don't normally interact with the test subje – er, prisoners.*_

"There's got to be some way to bypass the ward," said Cora, glaring at the door as if that would open it.

_*Well,*_ said Animus, considering, _*my master keeps a ring in his study that can be used to dissolve enchantments. I can't guarantee that it won't set off the alarm, but it would definitely get rid of the ward.*_

"Great!" exclaimed Cora. "Go get it for us."

_*What? I can't…if my master sees me going in there, he'll know I took it. Besides, I don't know where specifically in the room it is, but it's probably locked up.*_

"I thought you said you wanted to help us!"

_*I do. But I can't do anything that risks my master finding out I helped you.*_

"Some help you are," Cora scoffed.

"No, that's fair," Dirk interjected. "We shouldn't expect him to risk his life for us. But there must be some way to get the ring safely." He considered for a moment. "Cora is sneaky, and good with locks. If you could sneak her into the study, she could probably find the ring."

_*We'd have to get to the other side of the entry hall and upstairs first. Sneaky or not, dressed like that she'd look out of place at the party.*_

"Can you get us some new clothes so we can fit in better?" asked Dirk.

Animus thought for a moment. _*I may be able to find something in the storeroom. Wait here.*_

* * *

A single guard stood outside the storeroom, looking bored. He started to yawn, and then quickly stifled it when he saw Animus.

"Oh, Animus. Did you need – wait. Why is there a hole in your chest?"

_*Accidents happen,*_ Animus replied brusquely. _*Do not concern yourself with it. I need to get into the storeroom.*_

"Of course," said the guard, stepping aside so Animus could open the door.

Animus searched through the storeroom and located a pile of discarded clothing. Estimating the sizes of Cora and Dirk, he found a couple outfits nice enough to blend in at the party. Gathering them up, he exited the storeroom.

The guard looked oddly at him as he left. "Clothing? What do you need that for?"

Animus stopped and stared at the guard. Slowly he asked, _*Tell me, are you paid to ask questions?*_

"Well, no, but-"

_*Then why are we still talking?*_

"Right. Sorry," said the guard, shifting his weight awkwardly.

Without another word Animus turned and walked away, but the guard watched him suspiciously as he left.

* * *

When Cora and Dirk had finished changing into their new clothes, they huddled together with Animus to discuss their plan.

"Once you get over to the stairs," said Dirk, "Animus, you point out to Cora which room is the study. She'll sneak upstairs while you stay downstairs and keep anybody from going up there. Sound good?"

_*That seems doable,*_ replied Animus.

"I'll stay here and keep the others calm. Cora, try to play nice with him, alright?"

Cora let out a dramatic sigh, but nodded.

The party had only gotten louder and more crowded since Animus had left. Keeping their heads down, he and Cora easily crossed the room to reach the stairs.

_*It's the third door on your left. If you see anything with glowing arcane symbols on it, don't touch it. It will probably kill you.*_

"Great. Thanks."

_*Try to be fast.*_

Cora glanced about and, once she was certain no one was looking in their direction, she scampered up the stairs.

Ten minutes passed, and Animus waited nervously at the bottom of the stairs. He started to pace anxiously. What if Cora was caught? What if Razael found out he'd been helping her? This was such a bad plan…

Five more minutes passed, and still no sign of Cora. Animus considered for a moment, and then headed up the stairs to check on her.

Before his foot even touched the second step, he heard a voice behind him.

"Animus. What are you doing?"

Sheer terror shot through him. Slowly and cautiously he turned to look at Razael, who was watching him with annoyance.

"I thought I told you to stay at the party. Why are you going upstairs?"

Seconds seemed to become minutes as his mind raced, trying to think of a good excuse. Finally he managed to form an answer. _*I thought I might have seen someone sneaking into your study. I was going to make sure no one was in there.*_

Razael frowned, and Animus stood frozen still, but after a moment the lich nodded. "Alright, let's check the study, then."

Animus stared blankly at him for a moment. He hadn't wanted Razael to come up too…he'd see Cora!

"Animus! Why are you still standing there?"

Animus ducked his head. _*Sorry, master. I'm just a bit overwhelmed from all the people at your party.*_ He quickly turned and headed up the stairs, with Razael following a few paces behind.

He jogged the last few steps to the door to get there ahead of Razael. Grabbing the door handle he rattled it a bit, hoping that the noise would alert Cora so she could hide. Then, as slowly as possible, he opened the door.

The room looked empty, and identical to how Animus had last seen it. He glanced around, but saw no sign of Cora.

Razael was looking at him expectantly, so Animus began pretending to search the room, hoping that he wouldn't accidentally stumble across Cora. After a minute he hesitantly turned to Razael. _*You don't need to stay if you don't want, master. If I find anyone hiding here, I'll bring them to you.*_

Razael nodded. "Very well. Be thorough in your search."

_*Of course.*_

The lich turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Animus waited a moment to make sure Razael was gone, and then started looking around the room again. "Cora?" he called out softly, using his dead body's voice.

A pair of hands appeared on the windowsill, and Cora pulled herself up into the window. "Is that-" she started, sounding confused. Noticing him she continued, "Oh, it's you. You sounded like…nevermind." She climbed back into the room, dusting herself off.

_*Any luck?*_ asked Animus, glancing at the door in case Razael decided to come back.

The half-orc fished a ring out of her pocket. "Is this it?"

_*Yes!*_ said Animus with excitement. _*That should break the ward and free your friends.*_

"Let's get out of here." She paused. "That was the lich that was in here with you, wasn't it?"

_*Yes.*_

"You lied to cover for me, even though you could have gotten in trouble if I was caught…" For the first time, Cora broke into a grin. "You know, Animus, you're alright." She punched him playfully on the shoulder.

_*Umm…thank you?*_

"Let's get back to Dirk and the rest. I'm sick of this place."

* * *

When they returned, Dirk was crouching next to the cell door, speaking quietly with several of the prisoners. He nodded reassuringly before standing and walking over to greet Animus and Cora.

"Did you find it?"

Cora tossed the ring to Dirk, who caught it and looked it over. "Great," said the boy. "But I've been thinking…"

Cora groaned. "Wonderful. What now?"

"Well, Animus said he isn't sure if using this will set off the alarm. And even if it doesn't, how are we going to get all of these people out of the manor without being stopped?"

"Well, don't look at me," said Cora. "I did my part of the plan, you two come up with something."

"I have an idea, actually," replied Dirk. "But I'm not sure if it will work. Animus, does the lich have a decent supply of alchemical ingredients?"

Animus nodded. _*Yes, there should be plenty in the storeroom.*_

"If we could create a controlled explosion, set some fires…people would panic, and the manor would have to be evacuated. We could escape in the chaos."

"I like this plan," interjected Cora. "Except for the 'controlled' part. The lich is evil! Blow his entire damn manor up!"

Dirk sighed. "Aside from the fact that doing so would blow us up too…we don't want to harm any of the guests. Just because they're at the lich's party doesn't mean they deserve death."

"Fine, whatever. Just tell Animus what ingredients you need so he can get them."

_*I'm not sure I can do that,* _interrupted Animus. _*My master knows what the ingredients are, so they aren't labeled. But I wouldn't be able to identify them.*_

"Hmm." Dirk frowned. "Well, I could identify what we need. Would you be able to get me into the storeroom?"

_*Only myself, my master, and a few other people are allowed into the storeroom.*_ He paused, shifting uncomfortably. _*I do have a way to get you in, but…you won't like it.*_

Cora groaned again. "Oh, this should be good."

_*This body…isn't me. I'm just manipulating it. I'm actually the mask on its face.*_

Cora and Dirk stared at him blankly.

_*If I remove myself from this body, you could put me on your face instead. I won't try to control you, I promise! But I'd be able to guide you, and the guards would think you were me.*_

There was a long moment of awkward silence. Then Cora spoke. "Well, that's creepy. But if it gets us out of here…Dirk, are you up for it?"

The boy nodded.

Animus reached up and removed himself from the corpse's face._ *Now, you won't be able to see with me on, but I can show you how to – what?*_

Dirk and Cora were both staring at the corpse's face with a mix of shock and horror. Finally Cora spoke.

"You…you bastard! You murdering bastard!" She grabbed the sword from where it was lying next to the cell door and swung it at him. He quickly jumped back and reattached himself to the corpse's face.

_*What are you talking about? What did I do?*_

"Animus," said Dirk slowly. "Where did you get that body?"

_*I…my master gave me it-*_

"You killed him!" Cora screamed. "You murdered him and stole his body to use as a puppet!"

_*But I didn't kill-*_

"His name was Bartek," said Dirk quietly. "The guards took him earlier today. I guess now we know what happened to him."

"The lich killed him for you!" Cora dropped the sword and instead grabbed Animus by the shoulders, shaking him. "He killed him so you could use his corpse, ride around on him like a little parasite!"

"Cora…" Dirk said sadly. "Calm down. It's not his fault."

_*No, she's right,*_ Animus said softly. His response seemed to startle Cora, and she released him, backing away.

_*Everything you just said about me is true. And you have every right to hate me for it. But I can't control what I am.*_

"Cora. He's trying to help us. Don't be so hard on him," said Dirk, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged it off and turned away from Animus. "Fine. If you still want to trust him, go get those alchemical ingredients so we can get out of here."

* * *

_*This is…weird,*_ said Dirk as he walked down the hallway, following Animus's directions.

_*Try to stand confidently. Let me do the talking,*_ replied Animus.

The bored-looking guard outside the storeroom glanced up as they approached. Scratching his head, he asked, "Animus, didn't you use to be taller? And have a hole in you?"

_*That body was no longer suitable. And what did I say about asking questions?*_

"What do you need from the storeroom now?"

_*That's another question. Now move aside.*_

The guard stepped aside to let Animus into the storeroom. "Is everything okay? You're acting a bit – "

Animus closed the door in his face before the man could finish the sentence.

Now alone in the room, he picked up a satchel and walked over to a shelf full of alchemical ingredients, selecting the ones Dirk indicated. Once the satchel was full, they exited the storeroom. The guard was waiting outside, arms folded.

"Animus, I cannot think of what you could possibly need all this stuff for in the middle of the party – "

_*You're not paid to think, either.*_

"You seem like you're up to something. I think I should speak with Razael about it."

Animus stepped close to the guard so that their faces were only inches apart, somehow managing to seem intimidating despite being three or four inches shorter than the man. He stared at the guard, not saying anything, until finally the man coughed and took several steps back.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sounding a bit frightened.

_*Oh, I was just trying to picture how you'll look after my master eviscerates you for wasting his time, considering I'm fetching these supplies on his orders. In fact, he'll probably ask what took me so long…what was your name again?*_

"I should let you get going," the guard said quickly. "Sorry for wasting your time!"

Animus turned and headed back down the corridor as Dirk barely stifled a giggle.

_*That was fun,* _said the boy. _*I wish I could pull that off.*_

_*Being a corpse-stealing parasite has its benefits.*_

_*Try not to let that get to you, okay? Cora knows it's not really your fault, but she can't take it out on the lich, so she's taking it out on you. She doesn't actually mean it.*_

When they returned to the holding cells, Cora was nowhere to be seen.

_*Could she have been captured?*_ asked Animus as Dirk removed him from his face and reattached him to Bartek's body.

"She's probably just pacing the halls to blow off steam. I'm sure she'll be back by the time I get this set up." Dirk opened the satchel and began laying out the alchemical ingredients on the floor.

_*Did you get everything you needed?*_

"Yeah, I think this will be enough…uh oh," said Dirk, looking at something behind Animus.

_*Uh oh?*_ Animus turned and looked as well. The storeroom guard was standing right behind him, sword in hand.

"I knew you were up to something! You're helping the prisoners escape!" He pointed his sword at Animus.

_*Don't do anything rash, guardsman. This isn't what it looks like.*_

"Oh? And what is it?"

_*My master ordered me to-*_

"To let prisoners out of their cells, give them clothing, and let them play with alchemical ingredients?" He raised his sword to Animus's neck.

_*Put your sword away, guardsman. You know you can't kill me with it.*_

"No, but if I cut off your head you won't be able to stop me from bringing you to Razael so he'll know what you've done."

Animus turned his head slightly to look at Dirk, directing his telepathy only at the boy. _*I'm going to try to keep him away from you long enough for you to run. Get to the entry hall and try to blend into the party, and hopefully they won't find you.*_

"Animus," interrupted the guard, "stop talking to the – GAAAHHK!"

"What would you two do without me to rescue you?" asked Cora, pulling her sword out of the guard's neck. The man collapsed to the ground. "Are you nearly ready?" she asked Dirk, carefully stepping over the dead guard's body. "I want to get our people out of here."

"Yeah. If we set this off close enough to the entry hall, it should panic the guests enough that they'll evacuate."

"So we need to get that in position, and then dissolve the ward on the cell and get everybody to the entry hall, right?" asked Cora, pulling out the ring.

_*I will return to the party and locate my master,*_ said Animus. _*If dissolving the ward alerts him, I will try to delay him from getting to you for as long as possible.*_

Dirk stopped messing with the ingredients and looked up at Animus. "Thank you. Seriously," the boy said with a smile. He glanced over at Cora.

"Thanks," the half-orc mumbled to the ground.

_*Good luck,*_ said Animus as he turned and walked away.

* * *

Animus returned to the party and scanned the crowd, trying to spot Razael. Unable to locate him, he pushed into the crowd to search further. As he walked, he looked about, watching for Cora, Dirk, and the other prisoners.

"Animus." He nearly jumped ten feet. The lich had managed to sneak up on him again. Once he had Animus's attention, Razael continued, "Did you find anyone in my study?"

_*No, master. Either they'd already left, or there was no one there in the first place.*_

"I suspect it was the first. Something odd is going on tonight. I can sense it." He paused, and then stared at Animus's torso. "Why does it look like someone stabbed you in the chest?"

Before Animus could answer, a loud explosion went off, the shockwave knocking Animus and Razael to the ground. Fire started to spread from the hallway into the entry hall. Guests began to scream and panic, shoving each other about. As the flames intensified, the people in the hall started making their way towards the doors.

Animus scanned the crowd as he staggered to his feet. He spotted a few of the prisoners already making their way outside, Dirk among them. Cora was still inside, helping two prisoners that appeared injured.

The crowd inside thinned and no longer hid Cora and her two companions. Razael caught sight of the two men dressed in rags and yelled to the manor guards, "Those are prisoners! Stop them from escaping!"

Two guards charged in; Cora darted in front of the prisoners to protect them. She parried a swing from the first guard and slashed him across the chest. She kicked the first guard into the second, knocking both to the ground.

Dirk had come back in and was helping the last two prisoners out. Two more guards attacked Cora, but she fought back viciously. Despite all odds she managed to run one through and wrestle away from the other, making her way to the doors.

"Animus!" The lich looked at him, not needing to continue the order to make his intent clear.

Animus sprinted across the now clear entry hall and out the doors. Cora was already halfway to the crowd in the street, a mere twenty seconds from being able to blend in safely, but he was gaining on her, and Razael was watching…

_*Cora!*_ He reached out to her telepathically as he got within fifty feet. _*I've been ordered to stop you; you need to kill my body!*_

_*What?*_ she replied through the telepathic connection. _*Won't that hurt you?*_

_*I won't feel a thing. But you need to do it!*_ He closed to within ten feet of her. She looked over her shoulder, frowning, and tried to run faster.

She was so close to vanishing into the crowd, but his longer legs carried him forward and he grabbed hold of her ponytail, yanking her to a stop. _*CORA! DO IT NOW!*_

Quick as a flash, she whipped around and sliced the sword straight through his neck.

He fell, hitting the ground and rolling a bit until he could no longer see Cora or any of the others. He could only hope that she'd gotten away safely into the crowd, that they'd all gotten away and for once in his existence he'd saved someone from misery instead of causing it…

A minute or so passed before he was lifted off the ground. Razael removed him from the severed head and tossed it aside.

_*I'm sorry, master-*_ he started.

"Don't worry about it," Razael replied, seeming surprisingly calm. "It was a good try. Besides, I can always get more test subjects, right?"

* * *

A couple hours later, after Animus had been attached to the body of one of the dead guards and had helped clean up the mess in the entry hall, Razael called Animus to his study. The lich was looking around very carefully, as if trying to find any signs of who had been in the room.

"Animus," he asked slowly, "how do you think this happened?"

Animus decided to keep his answers as simple and clueless as possible. _*The prisoners got out somehow?*_

"Yes, but how? How did they get the alchemical ingredients they needed to create that explosion, how did they get into my study…"

Animus nervously waited for him to continue.

"You know what I think, Animus? I think someone must have been helping them."

_*I…I didn't…*_

Razael looked at him in surprise. "Of course you didn't! Did you think I was talking about you? I know you wouldn't have been able to help them. It must have been one of the guards. A sympathizer, maybe…"

Despite himself he decided to press his luck. _*Why wouldn't I have been able to help them?*_

"Oh, Animus. In your entire existence, you have never once disobeyed me. I don't think you even can, really. That's how I know I don't have to worry about you."

_*I see.*_

"Well, enough if this for now. I need to arrange to have more test subjects delivered. Do what you will for the time being."

_*Yes, master.*_

The lich left and Animus stood in the study, his head buzzing. A tiny little spark of rebellious determination had been lit in him. Razael thought he could never disobey, did he? Maybe Animus had had enough of this. Maybe it was time to prove the lich wrong.

Maybe it was his turn to escape.


End file.
